The Life of The Vintage Bricoleurs

Some Details:

(Some of us right before a show.)

Do you ever think about what we have to do to prepare for a show?

 Or to get something ready to bring to the store? 

 Most things go out of the "workshop" or "workroom" different from when they were picked up from an estate sale, picker, someones trash, a private shopping experience, yard sale, the wood pile on the side of the house, yard sale, a very nice antique store. You name it.  It comes from all over.

Next we decide what we want it to become.  Most things are in need of a new "life".

By that I mean it has to be cleaned, painted, mended, fixed to be made stronger, and priced.

Items have to be saved and gathered to create special displays.

It has to be loaded into the truck or trailer and hauled to the location where it will be sold.  And then unloaded and set up.

We somehow come up with creative ideas to display our items.

It is fun to see it all come together.  

Most of the time we have a basic plan.

You get all set up, and in a short amount of time, you have to re-merchandise because thing are selling. On The Spot. 

Fun.  It is a challenge, but I love it.

After a show, the items that did not sell need to be repacked into the truck and trailer and taken home for another show or taken to the store. 

 If we have had a busy day at the store, things need to be restocked or redisplayed.  Most of our items are "found" items, one-of-a-kind, so usually new merchandise is brought in.

This is just a peak into what we do.

Sound fun? Or a little crazy. 

For us it is a little of both.  Mostly fun because we have a passion for it.  We love to create and breathe new life into things.  We love being bricoleurs.

bricoleur:

We get to work together every day.  This is a family business.  Our kiddos (the Jr. Bricoleurs) work right beside us, learning along the way how to take something out of nothing and turn it into something beautiful.

And...

We could not do it without you.  Our faithful customers who support us in this.

Thank You.

We have also met some great fellow vendors, dealers, shop owners and show promoters.  You all are very inspiring to us.

Please visit us:

The Vintage Bricoleur

3750 Taylor Road

Loomis, Ca. 95650

Inside the High Hand  fruit sheds.

Terry (one of the bricoleurs)

  

The Vintage Bricoleur Featured Vendor for The Sacramento Antique Faire

We have been selling at The Sacramento Antique Faire for 4 years now. 

 We sell there the second Sunday of every month.  You can always find us at the main entrance in Space M-5&6. 

This month on their website they are featuring us!  Head on over to read the article.

Vendor Spotlight

http://sacantiquefaire.com/vendor-spotlight/

Sunday, April 14th

6:30am - 3pm

On 21st Street between W & X Streets.

Admission is $3.00.

Children under 16 and Parking are FREE.

Plan on having some delicious food from The Food Vendors.

See you there!

(All photos are from previous shows.)

Terry (one of the bricoleurs)

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® Inspired Table

~Antibes Table~

We have been selling Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® for a year now.  Hearing about customer's projects, seeing projects on the Internet, Pinterest, other stockists' photos of projects and reading Annie's books have all been very inspiring for us.  The table I  am sharing with you today is inspired by a project in one of Annie's books.

Before

After

Pretty cute.

Just a plain little table waiting for some love.

Wipe your piece clean.

Brush your paint on. We used Antibes Green.  No priming or sanding needed.

We washed the top with Old White.  

Brush on a thin coat.  Wipe off with a wet rag.

We heavily distressed next and applied Clear Wax.

After that we Dark Waxed it as shown in the photo.

The final step was to buff it.

It turned out great, but we wanted to make it a little more special.

So.. 

We added a little King Gold Gilding Wax to a few spots on the legs.

Yes!

That is just what we were looking for.  It is so unique and special now.

Finished!

A few things to point out:

1. We did this project in the house because the paint is very low VOC.

2. A wax brush allows you to only apply a little wax at a time without using too much.

3. The Dark Wax over the Clear changes the paint color.  It will richen it.  Don't be afraid to pick a bright color.

4. Sometimes going a step beyond really makes the piece. (Like using the Gilding Wax.)

5. Follow us on Pinterest for more of our projects.

6. "Like" us on Facebook.

7. Don't forget that you can buy your Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® from

The Vintage Bricoleur

3750 Taylor Road

Loomis, Ca. 95650

Inside the High Hand  fruit sheds.

Tuesday- Saturday 10-5

Sunday 10-4

8. We hold classes the 3rd Tuesday of ever month.  $95, supplies included.  Call (916)663-4663.

Terry (one of the bricoleurs)

Using Emperor's Silk~Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

Anytime I use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® and post about it, the interest in it is amazing!  We LOVE this paint and it has truly changed our business.  We have been selling it for a year now.  

The time that it takes to complete a piece is SO much faster than with any other paint we have ever used and with BETTER results.

Hmm... What color?

 Here are a few photos of using Emperor's Silk over an OK oak piece. A mini tutorial.

1.  Wipe your piece down to clean it.  NO SANDING OR PRIMING NEEDED.  

2.  Brush on paint.  One coat is usual enough especially if you are using a good Annie Sloan brush.

The paint has very low VOC's (no odor) so it is safe to paint inside.  It will be dry in an hour or less.

3.  Distress with a sanding block or piece of sandpaper along the edges or anywhere that you want to highlight the craftsmanship of the piece.

4.  Apply Clear Wax next using a wax brush. Gently set your brush in the wax to pick up a little on your brush.  Scrape on edge of can to evenly coat the head of the brush.   Start rubbing your brush over the paint.  Push it in.  The paint is very porous, so the wax will fill in to create one solid surface. Work in sections until you have covered the whole piece.  (a couple of very light coats are better than one heavy coat.)

*At this point you need to choose if you are going to add Dark Wax over the top of the Clear to richen your color and give the piece more patina.  If decide you like the way to looks:

5. Buff your piece with a buff brush or soft clean rag.

You are done!

If you choose to add the Dark Wax:

6.  Apply Dark Wax  OVER the Clear Wax.  Again, set your brush in the wax to pick up a little on your brush.  Scrape on edge of can to evenly coat the head of the brush.  Start rubbing your brush over the Clear Wax. If you like how dark it looks, leave it.  If it is a bit too dark, take a rag and wipe off some till you have the look you want.

7.  Buff your piece with a buff brush or soft clean rag.

Finished except for hardware.

Beautiful! 

And so simple and fast. (That is why there is a lack of photos, it's hard to stop to take them.) 

This is a very popular color.  So rich and the perfect red!

Any Questions?

We offer a paint class once a month.

Next class:

April 16, 11 - 1:30

2 - 4:30

$95.

Call to reserve your seat (916)663-4663

The Vintage Bricoleur

3750 Taylor Road 

Loomis, Ca. 95650

Inside the High Hand  fruit sheds.

Terry (one of the bricoleurs)

What has The Vintage Bricoleur been up too?

Oh My!

It has been sooo long. Over a month, and I'm sorry.

Actually, you might not even care or have noticed that I've been quiet.

But... 

For my customers who stalk  I mean follow me, I know they like to see what is new around here.

So, Here we go.

Back in the beginning of February I was doing some picking for the store and the upcoming shows and found this little half table.  Guess what?  It's perfect for me and it won't be going to the next show.  I'll share more on that later.

We had another great show at The Sacramento Antique Faire the second Sunday in February.

This cute desk is still available.  

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® - Old Ochre with Clear & Dark Wax.

We celebrated my father-in-law's 70th Birthday. 

 You can barely see is name tag. It says "Daddy".

We painted lots of furniture with our favorite paint. Annie Sloan Chalk Paint®. -Antibes with Clear & Dark Wax and a bit of Gilding. 

 Tutorial to come!

We had an awesome show at The Alameda Antique Faire the first Sunday in March.  It had been 6 months since we had been there.  It was good to see many old customers.

The following Sunday we were back at The Sacramento Antique Faire.

The day after that we had out-of-state family here for a week.  What a great time we had.  I had such a blast showing them around and I even got to spend a couple days working in the store with one of my sisters.  Thank you all for coming out to visit.

Needless to say, I have neglected this blog.  I have many photos ready to share. A few tutorials and some before and after shots from our projects.

What is next for The Vintage Bricoleur?

~The Sacramento Antique Faire - April 14.

~Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® Class - April 16, at TVB.

~Mes Amis Vintage Antiques Show - April 20, in Roseville.

~The Alameda Antique Faire - May 5.

~The Sacramento Antique Faire - May 12.

~Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® Class - May 21, at TVB.

~Remnants of the Past - June 1&2, in San Luis Obispo.

That takes us to Summer and I can't think past that for now.  In between come visit us at the store.

The Vintage Bricoleur

3750 Taylor Road 

Loomis, Ca 95650

Inside the High Hand fruit sheds.

Remember that we carry the full line of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® products.

One last thing, once again we have been nominated for Best Antiques on the KCRA 3 A-List.  Please take a moment to put in a vote for us.  Thanks!

Terry (one of the bricoleurs)

TVB's February Show: The Sacramento Antique Faire

This Sunday February 10th, you can find us selling at The Sacramento Antique Faire .

We will be in space M-5&6.

  

See you Sunday?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you can't make it to the Sacramento Antique Faire , how about the store?

The Vintage Bricoleur

3750 Taylor Road

Loomis, Ca 95650

Inside the High Hand  fruit sheds.

That's us tucked in behind the pots.  If you are looking for Vintage, Primitive, Valentine Gifts,Annie Sloan Chalk Paint , or just need some decorating inspiration.  Please come visit us.  We will do our best to help you.

Terry (one of the bricoleurs)

Lighting at The Vintage Bricoleur

We have many options for lighting here at The Vintage Bricoleur.

Tea Pot Lamp. Unique.

Silver Chandelier dripping with vintage crystals.

Simple small 5-arm Chandelier.

Gold and Crystals.

Industrial Cage Light.

Vintage Crystal Lamp.

Metal Industrial Pendant.

Large Italian Chandelier.

Industrial Basket Light

Beauty reflected in a mirror.

Vintage 8-arm Chandelier.

Wow! Look at all those crystals!

Industrial Floor Lamp

Another beautiful reflection.

Industrial Table Lamp.

Which one do YOU like?  What one will complete your space?

Please visit our store:

The Vintage Bricoleur

3750 Taylor Road

Loomis, Ca. 95650

Inside the High Hand  fruit sheds.

Tuesday - Saturday 10 -5

Sunday 10 -4.

Terry (one of the bricoleurs)